Comments on: In celebration of the house rabbithttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html
Brain candy for Happy MutantsMon, 30 Mar 2015 20:24:05 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1By: bheaterhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1680569
Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:10:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1680569 Sylvia’s trained for both — those the second can sometimes get away from her.
]]>By: Jonathan Robertshttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1679836
Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:42:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1679836You’ll be pleased to know that they are kept very well (providing they are actually kept in accordance with the regulations). They must be kept in groups and not separated unless absolutely necessary. The enclosures must reflect the needs of rabbits (at least 6m2 and 700cm2 per rabbit, no cage flooring, suitable gnawing and nest building material, raised area for looking at the surroundings, covered areas for shelter and hiding, separate area for each female rabbit nest). They must have appropriate lighting (measured at the head height of the rabbit) with a suitably long dusk period and at least 8 unbroken hours of darkness. Each animal is inspected twice a day and they have access to a vet and daily recording of quite a lot of information regarding the animals’ welfare.
]]>By: Vicki Maree Whateleyhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1679820
Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:38:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1679820yep
]]>By: AnthonyChttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1679411
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:02:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1679411Correct me if I’m wrong, but can’t they only be litter box trained for #1?
]]>By: Daemonworkshttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1679090
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:29:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1679090It’s worth mentioning that you should be /really/ sure you want a rabbit before you go out and pick one up. They are one of the animals most likely to be bought, and then simply ditched when the purchaser decides they’re no longer convenient. Happens in huge numbers every Easter.
]]>By: nowimnothinghttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1679059
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:09:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1679059Guess it was just ours that was so quiet, could hardly get him to wheep a bit.
]]>By: Maggie Champaignehttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678939
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:19:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678939 Definitely depends on the pets involved. Our two cats and one rabbit have lived together, no holds barred, for two years now — almost since we adopted him (after supervision and a pen at night for, like, a week).

But I don’t recommend that until you’re REALLY SURE and you know the cats REALLY WELL.

]]>By: apoxiahttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678867
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:06:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678867I “liked” your post merely for your sentence “It was worsened one night by an odd cocky dance that the bun performed in the living room, as if to suggest that all strivings are but vanity and the cat’s entire sense of self was premised upon hollow glories.” Fantastic.
]]>By: swesshttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678729
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:55:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678729I can’t tell you how much MORE I love boingboing right now. I’ve had my Ms. Drizzle for almost 2 years now. We found her in Prospect Park the day before Hurricane Irene hit (“Drizzle” ‘cuz it wasn’t drizzling…it was pouring) and while it hasn’t been the smoothest road, I love her to absolute bits now. She’s got some insane bunitude–from snuggling every night before bed, to figuring out how to shake and bang the door when I leave her in the room alone. Pure bunny love. Thank you, boingboing and all who contributed!

For anyone looking for a great bunny vet in Brooklyn, check out Dr. Holloway at Prospect Park Animal Clinic.

]]>By: Emily Comptonhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678688
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:13:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678688I think it does have a lot to do with socialization, both with humans and with other members of their species. I figure that if you kept a cat in a hutch in the yard all its life, it would probably be a pretty boring pet, and it would probably not know how to react to human companionship as well as one that had been raised in a stimulating and nurturing home. It’s a lot of expect of an animal that has basically no interaction with you outside its occasional maintenance to act affectionate or show much in the way of personality.

As an aside, one thing that I find interesting is that unlike dogs, rabbits never really have been extensively bred for companion animal temperament, but rather physical traits. I wonder if there will be such thing as a “lap rabbit” breed in the future, but for now I think the most important thing is to try to find homes for the multitude of rescue rabbits, and enjoy the entire spectrum of rabbit personalities as we discover them.

]]>By: membethhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678677
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678677I’m not sure how anyone who’s ever spent any time at all with horses could ever think they are not prey animals. It explains so much of their otherwise irrational behavior. Ever seen a horse completely freak out due to rustling noises? Trash bags in the wind, crinkling paper, even some noisy jackets can provoke some seriously outsized responses until the horse fully processes what it is and realizes it’s not about to get eaten. I once had an elderly and very staid horse take off bucking because there was a squirrel playing in the leaves behind us and he thought “ZOMFG, wolves!” He was rather embarrassed when the wolves did not materialize. In suburban New York. Where there are, in fact, unsurprisingly, no wolves. It’s a totally ingrained response even among domesticated horses that have never encountered a predator large enough to do them any harm.
]]>By: pjcamphttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678659
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 01:32:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678659Rabbits periodically sample their owners to see if they’ve turned into carrots yet.

No thanks. Rescue dogs rule.

]]>By: 9illyhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678624
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:18:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678624Pretty much just rabbits, that I know of. And not hay, it’s definitely the bunnies. I have to avoid angora blend sweaters. They don’t directly irritate my skin, just my eyes and nose.
]]>By: Antinous / Moderatorhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678619
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:12:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678619I visited a friend from work who had gotten a rabbit for her son. Apparently, they never touched it because, a minute after I picked it up, I had a hole in my jeans with blood pouring out of it.
]]>By: Antinous / Moderatorhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678616
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 00:11:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678616Farm animals are tougher than you think.
]]>By: Festushttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678602
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:39:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678602My experience is that our rabbit is so much less maintenance than any cat we’ve owned. Cats thrash. They chew, they claw, they get sick, they urinate and defecate everywhere, their feces stink because they eat meat, they get nervous and freak out when change happens… Our rabbit is so much more social and HIS POOP DOES NOT STINK. Plus I could never keep a cat on our porch–because I care about songbird populations–whereas Bunny lives there fulltime.
]]>By: Festushttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678597
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:36:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678597Rabbits definitely need lots of touching. The literature insists on regular petting and holding. Our bunny can’t get enough. Rushes forward to receive loves from everyone who comes by.
]]>By: Festushttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678595
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:34:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678595Our little Dutch bunny terrified into quivering submission a Chihuahua kept on our porch with him for a weekend. Both were uncaged. Our bunny regularly drives off cats, whom he hates. And he has lived uncaged on our porch for nearly four years. Granted, we don’t get a lot of off-leash dogs here, and there are lots of hiding spots for bunny on the porch. But I wouldn’t be so sure that rabbits are automatically going to be prey animals.
]]>By: Festushttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678591
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:31:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678591Ours was raised with small dogs. Uncaged. I am convinced that is why our rabbit is so cool. He fears no dog, but hates cats. Consider it.
]]>By: Festushttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678590
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:30:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678590We inherited BunBuns from a neighbor some years ago. He lived on her porch (no cage, no gate) for three years. He’s lived on ours for nearly four. No cage, no gate. Rabbits are territorial. He stays on his porch and we are gone at work all day. We do cage him at night so the neighborhood fox doesn’t eat him.

This is the best pet we’ve ever had. He guards the house, thumps at cats (hates cats, that makes two of us) and greets dogs. Loves dogs. HIS POOP DOES NOT STINK. He only urinates in his designated containers. Smart as hell, way smarter than the dogs I’ve owned. And not hateful, like cats.

BunBuns has a HUGE neighborhood fan club. He gets organic frisee greens from the nice lady with the pair of wolfhounds. The little kids tear out chunks of weeds for him. We’ve met everyone in our block. Do yourself a favor—get a porch bunny.

]]>By: Quiet Wyatthttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678555
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:51:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678555*heh*. I don’t even own a predictable world.
]]>By: Maggie Champaignehttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678552
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 22:45:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678552This I think is the problem with how rabbits are generally viewed. This is what people think they’re like.

I personally think rabbits are more interesting than cats (and mostly quieter, bonus). My first bunny was a holy terror of destruction,she’d climb to the top of whatever she could, and outsmarted us more than once. She also loved me and would climb into my lap to chill with me.

My current little buddy is totally different. He’s a rescue, and completely non-destructive. He’s staid and relaxed. He loves attention, but on his terms (the floor).

They aren’t for everyone, but they are totally awesome and often far more entertaining than any other pets I’ve known (When a rabbit is really happy, sometimes they do what is known as a flop: they THROW themselves flat on the floor and look like something horrible just happened. It’s perpetually hilarious.).

“folks who, like myself, have eschewed the predictable worlds of dog and cats”

You have a dog? That’s so predictable. I have a rabbit.

]]>By: Antinous / Moderatorhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678463
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:43:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678463That takes me to a sign-in page for Tumblr. Is it this: http://catbunny.tumblr.com/
]]>By: Antinous / Moderatorhttp://boingboing.net/2013/03/13/in-celebration-of-the-house-ra.html#comment-1678455
Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:35:00 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=218376#comment-1678455We have wild hares in the desert across the street. They come over every evening to eat the grass in the condo complex yard. About once a year, I hear the eldritch shrieks of coyotes over there, and no more bunnies for a while.
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